iPhone OS becomes iOS, gains Bing, retina display support

updated 02:25 pm EDT, Mon June 7, 2010

by MacNN Staff

Gold master already headed to developers

In an unexpected turn, Apple has announced that it is renaming the iPhone OS. It will now simply be called iOS, reflecting its use on devices like the iPad. As previously revealed, the iOS 4 firmware brings several important changes including multitasking, app folders, a universal inbox and e-mail threading. Newly disclosed though is integration with the iPhone 4 retina display, and updated Camera and Photos apps.

As rumored, Bing has been added as a web search option alongside Google and Yahoo. The firmware's launch should also mark the launch of iBooks for the iPhone, which will be feature-identical to the iPad edition, with notes, bookmarks and PDF support, as well as wireless sync with other Apple handhelds, and the ability to download previously-bought e-books on a second device at no extra charge.

Developers will have access to the gold master candidate of iOS 4 later today. The public release is due on June 21st, and will be free for all compatible handhelds, which excludes only the original iPhone and first-gen iPod touch. In the past, Touch owners had to pay an extra fee to upgrade.

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Apple's marketing terminology is getting a little old. Describing the iPad as 'magical' was a pretty long stretch. Referring to the iPhone 4's display as a 'Retina Display' definitely takes the cake. It's high-res. We get it. Kudos to Apple for taking the hint and even one-upping the competition by a few lines.

What I like:

-Design; Whatever. I don't spend much time looking AT my phone. But rather what's on it. It's functional and it works. I do wonder how comfortable those sharp edges will be. The fact that they also announced a case (err, Bumpers?) should be telling.

-Display; Gotta love having nasty high resolution at one's disposal. IPS tech is icing on the cake. We'll take IPS or PVA over TN any day of the week. I can't wait to read the comparisons of Apple's take on IPS with, say, Samsung's take on AMOLED. Stevesy went with tried and true. Sammy is going with bleading edge.

-Battery life; If it's real-world and not 'under ideal circumstances', AWESOME! Of course, we know it's the latter.

-Video chat; (See: What I don't like).

What I don't like:

-Video chat:) Video chat has been teasing us for years. Having it on a mobile is some real d*** Tracey, Star Trek shiznit. But this isn't it... We're not free to roam. And that's a big deal. Part of the whole 'video chat experience' was that it was supposed to be ANYWHERE. That's what was promised by Hollywood. And that's what I want. Not this half-baked solution that doesn't even offer integration with iChat. I mean, c'mon Apple. If we're going to be tethered to wi-fi, at least let us chat with people on computers. And speaking of chat...

-Still no acknowledgement of a real IM app: Are we to presume that because iOS4 has multitasking that we'll have a real instant messaging experience? I don't like taking bets, when I'm committing another 2 years of what's left of my precious 30's.

-No Flash: Spare us Apple. It works. Froyo is running it just fine. A good chunk of the web runs it. If you want to introduce a competing tech, that's great. But provide an open playing field. The way you're handling this is just sad. But we'll see how HTML5 stacks up on an open platform, now that Adobe finally has some competition and a reason to get moving.

-AT&T

-AT&T

-AT&T: Those first two were for emphasis. AT&T licks the proverbial nut. It is a greedy (not just profitable but GREEDY) company. They're new plans are completely designed to suck the dollars from your pocket. These new data plans will easily be overshot when Netflix or other streaming services become more prevalent. Their tethering option all but launches a drone attack on your house for even considering tethering an iPhone to a computer. Sure, they had to offer it eventually. But it's not what anyone was expecting. It sucks. And they know it... AT&T is probably one of the worst companies on the planet. And that's saying a lot, considering my disdain for the RIAA and MPAA consortiums. AT&T has a captive audience with iPhone users and they are sucking and squeezing for all that they can. Plain and simple, they are taking advantage... The business guys will say, "So what? Good for them." And that's what I don't like about business guys.

Wrapping up:

I'm thinking hard about letting my 3G go and switching to an EVO with Sprint's Everything Data plan. If you haven't seen that, look at it. It's hard to ignore. And for about $10 more than what I'm paying for my current 3G plan, I can turn an EVO into a mobile hotspot. And I get front and rear-facing cameras, real video chat, a massive screen to look at, interchangeable battery and on and on.

Steve, it's a B+. If you want extra credit, leverage iPhone and kick AT&T to the curb. And yes, Verizon is just as selfish, if not more so. Give it to Sprint or T-Mo. It's time for some relief at the gas pump.

I don't think that name change is a simple aesthetic change... considered the momentum that iPhone has and the installed base I think the "Mac OS Eleven" will be the one that will merge the two platform in some way... what if they can make iPhone applications run effortless on an iMac... the display resolution of the iPhone is higher than the resolution of old PC (800x600)...

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